Red Baneberry

Actaea rubra

Description: A bushy plant with large, highly divided leaves and a short, thick, rounded cluster of small white flowers
in leaf axils or at stem ends. The branched, 1-3 ft. stems of this perennial bears two or three large compound leaf,
each thrice divided. Leaflets are deeply saw-toothed. Above the foliage are dense, globular clusters of small white
flowers. The fruit is an attractive, but poisonous, red berry. In flower, the stamens give each cluster a feathery
appearance.

Environment: Rich, moist, deciduous & coniferous woods & thickets, Well-drained, humus-rich soils. Moisture is the
key to allowing this plant to grow. Lush wooded areas are the most common place to find this plant, by riverbanks
and areas with high water content.
Classification:

Plantae – Plants
Kingdom
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Magnoliidae
Order Ranunculales
Family Ranunculaceae – Buttercup family
Genus Actaea L. – baneberry
Species Actaea rubra (Aiton) Willd. – red
baneberry

Key terms:

Perennial- returns every year